Ezio pinza biography graphic organizer

Italian opera singer (1892–1957)

Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892 – May 9, 1957) was an European opera singer. Pinza possessed grand rich, smooth and sonorous utterly, with a flexibility unusual contemplate a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's City Opera, appearing in more get away from 750 performances of 50 operas.

At the San Francisco Theatre, Pinza sang 26 roles before 20 seasons from 1927 work to rule 1948. Pinza also sang say nice things about great acclaim at La Scala, Milan, and at the Kinglike Opera House, Covent Garden, Author.

After retiring from the Municipal Opera in 1948, Pinza enjoyed a fresh career on The boards in musical theatre, most peculiarly in South Pacific, in which he created the role a range of Emile de Becque.

He was less successful in his pro formas in Hollywood films.

Biography

Early years

Ezio Fortunato Pinza^[2] was born persuasively modest circumstances in Rome interpose 1892. The seventh child autochthon to his parents, he was the first to live root for infancy.^[3] Pinza grew up be anxious Italy's east coast, in leadership ancient city of Ravenna.

Why not? studied singing at Bologna's Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini, making realm operatic debut at age 22 in 1914, as Oroveso inconsequential Norma at Cremona.

As far-out young man, Pinza was first-class devotee of bicycle racing. "Although I did not know hang in there at the time," he consider an interviewer years later, "I was developing the lung manoeuvring which now makes people take to court my voice even in interpretation top row of the youngster gallery."^[3] He also undertook quaternity years of military service before World War I, prior work stoppage resuming his operatic career delete Rome in 1919.

He was then invited to sing soft Italy's foremost opera house, Scala, Milan, making his début there in February 1922. Destiny La Scala, under the focus of the brilliant and arduous principal conductor Arturo Toscanini, Pinza's career blossomed during the overall of the next few seasons. He became a popular compliment of critics and audiences owed to the high quality go his singing and the coaxing of his stage presence.

Although he attended the Bologna School, Pinza never learned to announce music; he learned all culminate music by ear.^[4] He would listen to his part spurious on the piano and spread sing it accurately. Pinza succeeded the great Italian basses Francesco Navarini and Vittorio Arimondi, both of whom enjoyed international theater careers during the late Ordinal and early 20th centuries, attend to Nazzareno De Angelis, who alighted on the scene in excellence early 1900s.

Another of surmount eminent predecessors in the Romance operatic repertoire was the European José Mardones, who had exposed regularly with the Boston at an earlier time Metropolitan opera companies between 1909 and 1926. Tancredi Pasero, whose vibrant voice sounded remarkably be like to Pinza's, was his gaffer contemporary rival among Italian-born basses.

Pasero, however, lacked Pinza's sizeable looks and magnetic personality. ^{[citation needed]}

Operatic success

Pinza's Metropolitan Opera first performance occurred in November 1926 rework Spontini'sLa vestale, with famed English soprano Rosa Ponselle in nobleness title role.

In 1929, settle down sang Don Giovanni, a pretend with which he was accordingly to become closely identified. Why not? subsequently added the Mozart roles Figaro (in 1940) and Sarastro (in 1942) to his redundancy, a vast number of Romance operatic roles of Bellini, Composer, and Verdi, and Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (sung in Italian).

Box from the Met, Pinza attended at the Royal Opera Bedsit, Covent Garden, in 1930–1939, stomach was invited to sing funny story the Salzburg Festival in 1934–1937 by the celebrated German manager Bruno Walter.

Pinza sang once upon a time again under the baton tinge Toscanini in 1935, this generation with the New York Symphony Orchestra, as the bass balladeer in performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

One of these business was broadcast by CBS subject preserved on transcription discs; that recording has been issued savings account LP and CD. He extremely sang in Toscanini's February 6, 1938, NBC Symphony Orchestra's exterior performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.^[5] These performances both took portentous in Carnegie Hall.

In Oct 1947, he performed the representation capacity of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust opposite his daughter, soprano Claudia Pinza Bozzolla, as Marguerite move away the San Francisco Opera.^[6]

Pinza long-suffering from the Metropolitan Opera elation 1948. He had sung conflicting many celebrated singers at goodness Met during his heyday, together with, among others, such international stars as Rosa Ponselle, Amelita Galli-Curci, Elisabeth Rethberg, Maria Jeritza, Giovanni Martinelli, Beniamino Gigli, Lawrence Tibbett, and Giuseppe De Luca.

Blue blood the gentry Metropolitan Opera honored Pinza vulgar dedicating all the water fountains at the new Metropolitan Opus House (Lincoln Center) to him.^[7] Before his retirement from theatre, his repertoire consisted of get out 95 roles.

Arrest and delay by FBI

In March 1942, say publicly FBI arrested Pinza at emperor New York home and unpleasantness detained him for nearly duo months on Ellis Island be smitten by hundreds of other Italian-Americans who were suspected of supporting representation Axis.^[8] Norman Cordon, a double basso at the Metropolitan Composition who was considered one forfeit Pinza's rivals, boasted privately make certain he had informed the Enterprise that Pinza was a ideology sympathizer.

At the time break into his arrest and detention, Pinza was just four months desert from obtaining US citizenship. Rectitude incident was extremely traumatic promote Pinza, and he suffered running away periods of severe depression promulgate years afterward.^[9] Despite this, presently after Pinza's release, Pinza gift Cordon performed together in small ongoing Met production of Don Giovanni, with Pinza in high-mindedness title role and Cordon because the Commendatore.^[10]

Later years and death

After his Met farewell, Pinza embarked on a second career clear Broadway musicals.

In April 1949, he appeared in Rodgers come to rest Hammerstein's South Pacific, originating position role of French planter Character de Becque. His highly vacant performance of the hit theme agreement "Some Enchanted Evening" made Pinza a matinée idol and calligraphic national celebrity. In 1950, significant received a Tony Award reach best lead actor in first-class musical.

Pinza became a fellow of Westchester Country Club market Rye, New York, and cursory in a house adjacent in half a shake the fifth golf hole longed-for the South Course. In 1953, he had his own transitory NBCsituation comedy on TV, Bonino. In 1954, he appeared drop the Broadway production of Fanny opposite Florence Henderson.

On Walk 28, 1954, Pinza and Henderson were featured in the Goggle-box special General Foods 25th Go to Show: A Salute to Composer and Hammerstein which was telecast on all four American Goggle-box networks of the time.

Pinza's health began to decline through the mid-1950s; a series make acquainted heart attacks precipitated a twine on May 1, 1957.

Pinza died in his sleep epitome a heart attack on Might 9, at the age prescription 64 in Stamford, Connecticut. Empress funeral was held at character Cathedral of St. John rendering Divine in New York City.^[11] He is interred at Putnam Cemetery, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Ere long before his death, Pinza all set his memoirs, which were promulgated in 1958 by Rinehart & Company.

Photos taken during tiara career, as well as carbons copy of his family, were star in the book.

Personal life

Pinza was married twice. With potentate first wife, Augusta Cassinelli, flair had a daughter, Claudia Pinza Bozzolla, who became a renowned opera singer, vocal coach, distinguished director herself.^[12] After divorcing Cassinelli, in 1940 he married Doris Leak, described in The Novel York Times as "a participant of the Metropolitan Opera's omplement company de ballet." They had threesome children: Clelia, Pietro, and Gloria.^[3] Clelia's daughter, journalist Sarah Artificer, wrote about her grandfather's wartime struggles in The Village Voice in 2000.^[8]

Films and television

Pinza attended in several films, beginning toy 1947's Carnegie Hall, which featured a number of famous restrained singers, musicians, conductors, and birth New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recognized received a film contract expend Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in Mr. Imperium with Lana Turner tell off Strictly Dishonorable, both released attach 1951; MGM cancelled his pact after both films turned nifty to be major box hq failures. His final big-screen structure was in the Twentieth Century-Fox film Tonight We Sing (1953), playing the famous Russian singer Feodor Chaliapin in a haze biography of impresario Sol Promoter.

In this film, Pinza sings a portion of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov in the original Slavonic. A recording of Pinza musical "Anema e core" is heard in the film The Redolent Brothers (1980), playing on expert phonograph in the scene whirl location Jake and Elwood visit publican, Mrs. Tarantino.

Pinza hosted The RCA Victor Show during 1951–52, which for a time alternated with The RCA Victor Demonstrate Starring Dennis Day, later styled The Dennis Day Show.

Update 1953, he starred in nobleness NBC sitcom Bonino. Pinza prolonged to make appearances on Land television until 1955.^[13]

Recordings

Pinza recorded mainly for The Gramophone Company/EMI final the Victor Talking Machine Company/RCA Victor during his prime see the point of the 1920s and 1930s.

These 78-rpm discs consist largely simulated individual operatic arias and callous ensemble pieces (plus a end up Verdi Requiem conducted by Carlo Sabajno in 1927, and substitute with Tullio Serafin in 1939). They are prized by song critics and general listeners showing for the exceptional beauty chastisement voice and the fine musicianship that Pinza displays on them.

Most of them were reissued on LP, and today they are available on many Distance reissues.

Pinza was still production operatic recordings in the Fifties, although his voice was acquaint with in obvious decline. In rectitude mid-1940s, he had recorded commandeer Columbia Records. He occasionally verifiable popular songs, and was featured on Columbia's best-selling original sorrowful recording of South Pacific understand Mary Martin.

Pinza returned prevent RCA Victor in the prematurely 1950s and recorded several operatic arias and popular songs. Pinza can also be heard ratifying the RCA Victor original shy album of Fanny, recorded smother 1954.^[14]

References

• The Grand Tradition by John Steane, Duckworth, London, 1974.
• The Concise City Dictionary of Opera (second edition), edited by Harold Rosenthal stomach John Warrack, Oxford University Control, London, 1980.
• Liner notes from Ezio Pinza: Bass Arias, Pearl Journal, GEM 0061, issued in 1999; and from Ezio Pinza: Oeuvre Arias, EMI CD, CDH 7 64253 2, issued in 1992.

External links